Weigh In Day

It's that day again.  Weigh in day!  It seems to be coming sooner and sooner as we go.

(updates will be posted as I receive them, so stay tuned!)

Sara Lou:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight:182.8
Today's weight: 180.2
Weight lost: 2.6 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.4%
Total weight lost so far: 23.8 lbs
Total percentage so far: 11.7%

Chey Baby:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 195.2
Today's weight: 187.4
Weight lost: 7.8
Percentage of weight lost this week: 4%
Total weigh lost: 16.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 8.1%

Cee Bee:

Initial weight: 244
Last week's weight: 226.6
Today's weight: 226
Weight lost: 0.6
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost:18 lbs
Total percentage so far: 7.4%

Jay Low:

Initial weight: 176
Last week's weight: 174
Today's weight:
Weight lost:
Percentage of weight lost this week:
Total weigh lost:
Total percentage so far:

JoJo:

Initial weight: 181
Last week's weight: 173.4
Today's weight: 173
Weight lost: 0.4 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.2%
Total weigh lost: 8 lbs
Total percentage so far: 4.4%

Rosie Kay:

Initial weight: 140
Last week's weight: 137.4
Today's weight: 137
Weight lost: 0.4 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost: 3 lb
Total percentage so far: 2.1%

Tasty Thursdays - Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Today's Tasty Thursday recipe is brought to us by Becca Robinson.  Thanks Becca for sending this in!

Chicken lettuce wraps

24 oz. ground chicken (I use chicken breasts and grind it in my food processor)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp. agave nectar (or sugar)
2 tsp. ground fresh ginger
1/2 c. shitake mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
1 small can water chestnuts-finely chopped
1 tbsp. coconut oil (or veg. oil)
6 cloves garlic-minced or crushed
Lettuce leaves (can use iceberg, bibb, romaine, etc.)

Rehydrate shitake mushrooms, if needed. Then chop them up.

Put ground chicken in a bowl. Add chopped water chestnuts and mushrooms. Then add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, agave and ginger. Stir to combine all ingredients

Heat coconut oil in a saute pan over medium/high heat. Add crushed garlic and stir for about 10 seconds. Then add the chicken mixture to the pan. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks.

Serve in lettuce leaves. You can drizzle some extra soy sauce on top or mix some soy sauce with some hoisin sauce or we just use Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sweet and Savory sauce (get it at Costco) to put on top.

Enjoy.

Makes about 8-10 wraps.

Weigh In Day

W-w-w-weight in day, Spankstas!!

(updates will be posted as I receive them, so stay tuned!)

Sara Lou:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight:182.4
Today's weight: 182.8
Weight lost: +0.4lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: +0.2%
Total weight lost so far: 21.2 lbs
Total percentage so far: 10.4%

Chey Baby:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 191.8
Today's weight: 195.2
Weight lost: +3.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: +1.8%
Total weigh lost: 8.8 lbs
Total percentage so far: 4.3%

Cee Bee:

Initial weight: 244
Last week's weight: 229
Today's weight: 226.6
Weight lost: 2.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.0%
Total weigh lost: 17.4 lbs
Total percentage so far: 7.1%

Jay Low:

Initial weight: 176
Last week's weight: 174.6
Today's weight: 174
Weight lost: 0.6 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost: 2 lbs
Total percentage so far: 1.1%

JoJo:

Initial weight: 181
Last week's weight: 174
Today's weight:173.4
Weight lost: 0.6 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost:7.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 4.2%

Rosie Kay:

Initial weight: 140
Last week's weight: 138.4
Today's weight:137.4
Weight lost: 1 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.7%
Total weigh lost: 2.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 1.9%

Edited: All updates are completed!  Check out the new rankings on the right for this week! ---->

Progress

Since we are about halfway through...

And since somebody asked me about it...

And since I have a cell phone and figured, "Why not?"...

Here are some progress pictures so far:

Day 1

 Today - 25 lbs down!!

I still have a ways to go.  

Oh boy, do I know it!

But it is nice to see progress, anyhow.

Feel free to share any progress pictures you have on our Facebook page.  We'd love to see how you're doing!

Tuesday Tip - Guest Post!

Today's post is brought to you from my Ms. Katie from the Spankstas.  We really appreciate her jumping in and helping out!  Take it away, Katie!  ~Sara

Hi Ladies!

My name is Katie. I am Sara’s sister-in-law.  Most of my time is spent teaching middle school, but now that it is summer, I’ve had a bit of free time on my hands.

Actually, I have spent most of the summer on the road.  My hubby and I took off on a week long road trip around Idaho. Then the next week, I did a mad dash road trip to Los Angeles with my mom.  Last week I drove to a teaching conference in Utah.

All of this time behind the wheel has made the weight loss challenge, well, really challenging. While I’ve only lost about three pounds so far this summer, I didn’t gain a single ounce on vacation. 




Here are five tips to healthy travels that I have discovered first hand this summer.

1. Pack healthy foods. I have to have snack food when I’m on a road trip. It helps me to stay awake and it makes traveling so much more fun.  But in order to stay within my calorie count, I filled a small cooler with baggies of grapes and Bing cherries. (Bing cherries are really helpful for drowsiness, because you have to focus on spitting out the seed.) I also sliced up a block of cheese so that I could make little whole grain cracker and cheese sandwiches. String cheese is handy and fun to eat too.  I kept all of these things within arm’s reach of the passenger’s seat so they were very accessible.  This also included water bottles, not sodas. Sure, that soda will keep you peppy but so will an icy slushy. Freeze the water bottles before you leave home, and then keep them in a cooler on the floor of the back seat. Feeling thirsty- drink healthy water. Feeling sleepy- put the icy water bottle on the back of your neck. Win-win situation.  If you’re really sleepy pull over and take a little hike. Stretch your legs and get some exercise. That’s way better than an energy drink or a soda pop.
2. Put unhealthy foods out of reach.  Nobody goes camping without s’more ingredients, right? Or what about chips, cookies, or yummy desserts? I would imagine that with kids in tow those foods would be a must have. Well, that’s fine. We are on vacation after all. But put them in the trunk of the car, or the bed of the pickup. Somewhere so inaccessible that you have to pull over, stop the car, and unpack it just to get to the goodies. This will prevent unnecessary snacking until it is actually time for dessert.
3. Don’t eat out every meal – particularly breakfast.  Staying in a hotel or motel while on the road? That’s great! Most of them come with miniature refrigerators.  So run to the store and pick up some yogurt cups and a small box of granola.  Maybe pack a few extra string cheese or some mini-bagels and fat free cream cheese. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start your day off right.  Continental breakfasts are okay, but be aware of your portion sizes. If you wouldn’t have a waffle with lots of syrup at home, you don’t have to have one at the hotel, either. 
   
   Maybe it’s not breakfast that’s the problem. You don’t have to buy lunches either.  Before you leave, make some sandwiches or pack some apples and peanut butter.  The picture below is on a typical lunch on the Idaho road trip.  We pulled over near a grassy park, grabbed some apples, some peanut butter, and some string cheese. It was a good chance to stretch our legs. The apples were nice and crisp, the peanut butter was filling, and the cheese was tasty.  If that’s not enough food for you and your brood, add a handful of those whole-grain crackers from Tip #1 or pack a loaf of whole grain bread to make sandwiches.
   
   

   

   You’ve probably noticed the Oreo package in the background. We limited ourselves to two cookies a piece (one serving) and then packed them back into the bed of the truck so we wouldn’t be tempted to eat more.

   
   

4. Eat local.  Okay, so we’re driving around the town of Wallace, Idaho trying to decide what to do for dinner. There are the usual fast food restaurants of course, but there were also some great little locally owned joints like the 1313 Club. Yes, Jake’s hamburger was huge and greasy. Yes, my philly cheese steak sandwich was oozing caloric goodness. But here’s the deal- eating local is good in multiple ways. First of all, that restaurant is more likely to have bought local, fresh ingredients which will always be better for you than whatever is shipped in from some unknown source. Second, the food is going to taste better because it is made fresh, not frozen. Unlike chain stores that have set recipes, locally owned restaurants have chefs who are thinking on their feet to produce delicious food specifically for you at that moment. If you’re going to be eating the calories anyway, you might as well enjoy them. Finally, it helps the local economy.  If you drive all the way across the country just to eat at a Burger King, you’re missing out on one of the best reasons to travel – to try the local cuisine.
5. Indulge a little. If you eat healthy snacks, and keep an eye on your portions, and take the time to do some hiking/sight-seeing you deserve an extra s’more around the campfire or that homemade apple pie at the diner.  Plus, you’re on vacation and what happens on vacation, stays on vacation. ☺

Weigh In Day

Weigh in, weigh in, weigh in day!!

Do you ladies realize that we are almost 1/2 done with our competition?   Can I just say how very proud I am of you all!

(updates will be posted as I receive them, so stay tuned!)

Sara Lou:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight:185.8
Today's weight: 182.4
Weight lost: 3.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.8%
Total weight lost so far: 21.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 10.6%

Chey Baby:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 191.8
Today's weight: 
Weight lost:
Percentage of weight lost this week:
Total weigh lost:
Total percentage so far:

Cee Bee:

Initial weight: 244
Last week's weight: 231.4
Today's weight: 229
Weight lost: 2.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.0%
Total weigh lost:15 lbs
Total percentage so far: 6.1%

Jay Low:

Initial weight: 176
Last week's weight: 175.2
Today's weight:174.6
Weight lost: 0.6 lb
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost:1.4 lbs
Total percentage so far: 0.8%

JoJo:

Initial weight: 181
Last week's weight: 177
Today's weight: 174
Weight lost: 3 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.7%
Total weigh lost: 7 lbs
Total percentage so far: 3.9%

Rosie Kay:

Initial weight: 140
Last week's weight: 138.4
Today's weight: 138.4
Weight lost: 0 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0%
Total weigh lost:1.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 1.1%

Tuesday Tip - Dressing on the Side

I'm sure this is not a new tip for most of you.

Perhaps it'll just serve as a reminder.

Or perhaps you already know and do this and you can just ignore me entirely.

When ordering a salad (or making one at home) be sure to get your dressing on the side.

Whenever I pour my dressing right on the salad, 2 TBSP seems like an awfully small amount.  Part of that may be because it's always crazy uneven.  Some lettuce pieces will be drenched while others have none.

(Boo and hiss to crazy uneven dressing!)

I now put my dressing on the side and, before every bite, I dip my fork into the dressing. 

Ta-da!

Each and every bite now has the added flavor.  And the super bonus is that I don't use near as much!  At first I poured myself the standard 2 TBSP serving size, but it was far too much.  When I put it on the side, I'm hard pressed to even use up 1 full TBSP.

Now that's a calorie saver!

How about you?  Have you tried this?  Have you always done it?  Or are you a fan of crazy uneven dressing?

Weigh in day

Ahhh, the true test of willpower.  A HOLIDAY WEEK.  I hope that you all enjoyed the 4th of July!  I also hope you were decently good because it's that day again- Weigh In Day!


(updates will be posted as I receive them, so stay tuned!)

Sara Lou:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight:191.4
Today's weight: 185.8
Weight lost: 5.6 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 2.9%
Total weight lost so far: 18.2 lbs
Total percentage so far: 8.9%

Chey Baby:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 194.6
Today's weight: 191.8
Weight lost: 2.8 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.4%
Total weigh lost: 12.2 lbs
Total percentage so far: 5.98%

Cee Bee:

Initial weight: 244
Last week's weight: 232.2
Today's weight: 231.4
Weight lost: 0.8 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.3%
Total weigh lost: 12.6
Total percentage so far: 5.1%

Jay Low:

Initial weight: 176
Last week's weight: 175.2
Today's weight:
Weight lost:
Percentage of weight lost this week:
Total weigh lost: 
Total percentage so far:

JoJo:

Initial weight: 181
Last week's weight: 178.6
Today's weight: 177
Weight lost: 1.6 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.9%
Total weigh lost: 4
Total percentage so far: 2.2%

Rosie Kay:

Initial weight: 140
Last week's weight: 139.2
Today's weight:138.4
Weight lost: 0.8 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.6%
Total weigh lost: 1.6 lbs
Total percentage so far:  1.1%

Tuesday Tip: Don't Use A Straw

Quite some time ago I posted a Tuesday Tip about using a straw.

When drinking of water, a straw will help you easily gulp down larger amounts.  It's so much easier to just sit and sip.  It's almost a mindless task.

So today's tip?

Don't use a straw.

That's right.

The exact opposite.

I'm fickle like that. 

But seriously, DON'T use a straw when you find yourself drinking beverages that are full of calories.

The same mindless consumption can occur.  Of course, that's great with water, but not-so-much great with empty calories.

Lately we have started having "Soda Saturdays" in our house.  We try to avoid pop every other day of the week and on Saturday we will each treat ourselves to one (appropriate-sized) soda.

I'm a Coke gal.  It's my thing.

I love it.  I crave it.  I want it.

But I have found that if I get my soda in a cup with a straw, within minutes the soda is gone and I don't feel like I've even really tasted what I have waited all week for.

Bummer!

So I have started removing my lid and straw. 

I savor that drink.

I guess you could say that I take the time to "drink it all in."  Har har.

I drink slow sips and I am mindful of each taste as it touches my mouth.

It may seem cheesy, but when I am done, I feel much more satisfied with the empty calories I just consumed.  At least I noticed their consumption!

And I loved every second of it.

It's almost enough to get me by until the next Soda Saturday.

Almost...

Weigh In Day!!

Favorite day of the weeeeeeeeek!


(updates will be posted as I receive them, so stay tuned!)

Sara Lou:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 193
Today's weight: 191.4
Weight lost: 1.6 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.83%
Total weight lost: 12.6 lbs
Total percentage so far: 6.2%

Chey Baby:

Initial weight: 204
Last week's weight: 199
Today's weight: 194.6
Weight lost: 4.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 2.2%
Total weigh lost: 9.4 lbs
Total percentage so far: 4.6%

Cee Bee:

Initial weight: 244
Last week's weight: 233.6
Today's weight: 232.2
Weight lost: 1.4 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.6%
Total weigh lost: 11.8 lbs
Total percentage so far: 4.8%

Jay Low:

Initial weight: 176
Last week's weight: 172.4
Today's weight: 175.2
Weight lost: +2.8
Percentage of weight lost this week: +1.6%
Total weigh lost: .8 lbs
Total percentage so far: 0.45%

JoJo:

Initial weight: 181
Last week's weight: 179.4
Today's weight: 178.6
Weight lost: 0.8 lbs
Percentage of weight lost this week: 0.45%
Total weigh lost: 2.4 lbs
Total percentage so far: 1.3%

Rosie Kay:

Initial weight: 140
Last week's weight: 140.8
Today's weight: 139.2
Weight lost:1.6
Percentage of weight lost this week: 1.1%
Total weigh lost: 0.8 lbs
Total percentage so far:  0.57%